Megan Navarro
DRIPPING SPRINGS — At its Tuesday, July 21, meeting, Dripping Springs City Council approved multiple items related to the South Collector Wastewater Project.
The project, which is between Cuncashca LLC and the city of Dripping Springs, consists of the installation of a 36-inch gravity main, along with a treated effluent irrigation line for the Driftwood Golf and Ranch Subdivision, according to utilities director Gary Lahrman.
Wastewater facilities agreement
The first item related to the South Collector Wastewater Project is for the amendment and reinstatement of the original wastewater facilities agreement from 2023, due to delays in starting construction.
During negotiations, landowner Cuncashca LLC requested revisions, including triggers for abandonment of the drip field exchange land, fencing requirements and extension of the temporary construction easement language, to be made to the original agreement.
The temporary construction easement will be updated, allowing for equipment storage, staging and construction areas during the installation process.
“We did set a term for drip field abandonment for Dec. 31, 2031. That would be where we exchange the land or we get rid of those front drip fields on the 40 acres and we take over. The agreement allows us to use those until 2031 and we will do a land exchange at that point and abandon the drip fields,” Lahrman explained. “It also includes a temporary construction easement to expire Aug. 31, 2027.”
Tree removal credit
While the original agreement in 2023 considered the preservation of certain trees in the easement area, the landowner authorized the removal as necessary for the city’s wastewater improvement project.
With this approval, the landowner negotiated for future development that the city has 550 caliper inches that were recorded in the easement to be credited.
“We've worked through this with the landowner and it would be to run concurrently with the wastewater facilities agreement and we would get started here pretty soon, but [the] purpose of the agreement to recognize protected standard trees removed by the city within the easement by establishing a limited baseline adjustment that may be used in future tree preservation calculations for the property,” the utilities director presented.
Council member Geoffrey Tahuahua stated that the particular trees on the property are part of the easement that will ultimately serve the wastewater treatment plant the city is working on, so “while regrettable, the removal of the trees is necessary in order for us to facilitate the moving of that wastewater.”’
The agreement is accounting for what is being done in the easement and giving the landowner credit for the trees removed that are to be preserved in accordance with the city of Dripping Springs’ ordinance, city administrator Michelle Fischer clarified.
“Cedars and hackberries don’t get counted, so if that landowner, Cuncashca, does develop in the future, he’s kind of got a credit to work with,” she said.
The wastewater facilities and tree removal credit agreements were unanimously approved by council.
Also for the South Collector Wastewater Project, council unanimously voted to award the bid to Santa Clara Construction, Ltd. in the amount of $4,714,829. This came after the city received 15 competitive bids, with amounts ranging from $4,078,028 to $10,950,181.15.
Dripping Springs City Council meets next Tuesday, Aug. 4.
